No Way Around It
by FieryArtemis
Summary: Marinette is unable to keep her secret hidden from Alya when an akuma attacks the mall.


**A/N:** Please excuse the lengthy-ness of this oneshot. I didn't intend for it to be so long. I kept going back and rewriting certain parts because I didn't like them. I think I finally got something that I like though so please enjoy. Probably super out of character and AU as the show goes on.

* * *

"Alya!" Marinette cried. Her eyes went wide as she saw Alya go down right in front of the akuma. Littered around Marinette and Alya were the akuma's other victims, turned into unmoving mannequins. And Alya was literally going to be next. Marinette needed to become Ladybug but she couldn't let Alya get hurt. "Nononono!"

Marinette twisted around, her feet almost sliding out from under her on the slick tile of the mall floor. Good luck was on her side as she jumped over a couple of shoppers turned mannequins. She made it to Alya before the akuma could land the paralyzing and transformative blow. "Marinette! Look out!" cried Tikki from her pocket in warning.

Marinette grabbed Alya under the arm and yanked her out of the way right as the beam of light crashed into the ground. The floor absorbed it harmlessly. "What are you doing?" Alya demanded as Marinette hauled her to her feet.

"Saving you!" answered Marinette. She didn't spare the angry akuma a second glance as she dragged Alya behind her.

"Are you kidding me! That crazy person could've gotten you!" Alya snapped.

"And she was about to get _you_." Marinette pointed out as they sprinted. She pulled the two of them around a corner. Alya caught up to her and ran beside her rather than continued to be dragged along. "There's got to be a door close by." said Marinette.

"We're close to the South entrance." Alya reminded her.

"Come back here!" snarled the akuma. She was right behind them. The sound of exploding glass let Marinette know just how close. She really wished Chat Noir was around to distract the akuma. Marinette could have really used that nitwit's help at the moment.

"I say we book it!" Alya tacked on, looking over her shoulder nervously. Tikki popped her head out of Marinette's bag.

"Marinette," Tikki whispered urgently.

"I know, I know." Marinette replied from the corner of her mouth. Alya was too busy running to notice that she was talking to her purse. "See if you can buy us sometime. I need to get Alya out before I do anything else. I'll meet back up with you and we'll deal with this okay."

Tikki nodded and zipped out of her purse, "Right!"

"Left!" cried Alya. Marinette felt her arm jerk in that direction.

There was a resounding crash that echoed down the hall behind them. It was followed by a loud angry screech. Marinette smirked. Whatever Tikki had done seemed to have worked because the akuma was no longer following them. Once she got Alya to safety outside and gave her the slip, all she had to do was become Ladybug and take care of Hawkmoth's minion. Easy peasy! To make things even better, the door that Alya had been leading her to was right in front of them now. "Yes!" Alya cheered, the relief was evident in her voice.

Marinette and Alya put the last bit of speed into their sprint. Just a few more feet and Alya would be safe. Just a few more feet! They hit the door with their hands extended in front of them. And then bounced right back off of it. Marinette and Alya hit the ground with a dull thud.

"No! Oh no!" breathed Alya. She scrambled to her feet. Marinette was on her feet just as quickly. Alya shook the door as hard as she could. It banged against the metal threshold but didn't budge.

"It's locked!" Marinette stared at the door in confusion. Either this was a really unfortunate coincidence or somehow, someway the akuma had locked the door before attacking to keep people inside the mall.

"No, it's okay." Alya said taking a deep breath through her nose to steady herself. She waved her hands in front of her chest and closed her eyes. Marinette had no clue how Alya could be the picture of zen in the middle of chaos. It was a Superpower in and of itself. Suddenly, Alya's eyes snapped open and her hands wrapped around Marinette's shoulders. "We're going to be fine. I bet Ladybug and Chat Noir are already on their way. All we have to do is hide until they show up!"

"Alya, we..." Marinette started. She had no clue what she was going to say. Hiding wasn't really an option. There was nowhere _to_ hide. Alya, however, was turning and looking at the empty, straight hallway for a place to hide.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" hissed the akuma's voice from down the hall. Apparently she was over Tikki's distraction already. "You can't possibly tell me that you ungrateful customers are tired of shopping already."

Marinette bit her lip. She was out of options. There was only one thing to do now and it wasn't to hide. She lifted Alya's hands off her shoulders. "It's okay. I know what to do. Leave this to me alright!" she told her cheerfully.

"What are you talking about?" Alya questioned nervously.

"Trust me Alya." she replied as she stepped away from her best friend. She was vaguely aware of Alya raising her hand and calling her back. It appeared as though a lot of Alya's calm was only on the surface. Alya was right though because Ladybug wasn't going to let either of them get hurt. Marinette wasn't about to let Alya get hurt. Though she might be extremely angry with her for hiding the small fact that she was Ladybug. There wasn't much time to think about that though.

Tikki came barreling around the corner. "We're out of time!" she cried, flailing her tiny arms through the air.

"Tikki," Marinette called to her as she held her hand out for Tikki to land on.

"What is _that_?" Alya asked. Marinette turned to look at Alya. Her mouth was hanging wide open.

"Uh-oh, I'm sorry!" Tikki started in dismay.

Marinette gave her an understanding smile. "It's alright Tikki. Alya, this is my friend Tikki. Tikki you remember Alya right?"

"Nice to officially meet you." Tikki waved shyly.

Alya waved back stiffly while giving Marinette a wary look. "Someone want to tell me what's going on?" she asked again.

"Don't worry! I'll explain everything." Marinette promised her. "I just need to go take care of something really quick."

"Marinette, now is seriously not the time!" Alya scolded.

"I know you're in here!" snarled the akuma.

"Tikki! Let's go!" Marinette said as she brushed her benign looking earrings. "Let's go, Ladybug!"

Tikki gave a tiny whoop as she flew towards Marinette's earrings. Alya gave a gasp and fell backwards into the door as light encompassed Marinette's body. By the time the light faded and Marinette could see Alya's face again, Alya seemed to be using the door to keep herself upright. She blinked once or twice in confusion. "You're... you're _Ladybug_." she stammered.

Marinette shrugged and laughed a little, "Surprise?"

"You are..." Alya began in a semi-threatening voice but then broke off suddenly. "Trouble! We got trouble!"

Alya pointed down the hall. Marinette turned. The akuma had just turned down the hall and was looking straight at them. "There you are!" the akuma growled as she raised what looked like a price scanning gun. "Give me your miraculous stones!"

Ladybug stepped forward, taking her weapon off her hip. She and Chat Noir had made an agreement to never call it a yo-yo because what Supervillain would take someone with a yo-yo for a weapon seriously? Ladybug swung it through the air at her side to show that she was ready to act if needed. "What is it with Hawkmoth wanting my miraculous stone so badly huh? And what's up with you? Need a vacation from customer service?" Ladybug asked with a bit of a grin on her face.

"Shut up and give me your miraculous stones!" the akuma yelled. Her finger tightened around the trigger of her price scanner. Ladybug reacted a fraction of a second later. She cast her weapon out like a whip and hit the akuma's hand. The beam of light went wide and struck the side of the hallway.

"Nice one." Alya said as drywall and paint rained down from the hole in the wall.

"You liked that?" Ladybug said, "Watch this then. Lucky Charm!"

Ladybug tossed her weapon into the air as white light spilled from it. A red and black spotted handbag the size of a medium size school bag emerged from the light. Okay, could've been worse. Tikki's magic could've given her a spoon like it had before. "What are you going to use a purse for?" Alya questioned with an upraised eyebrow. "Oh! Is there something else inside?"

"I don't think so..." answered Ladybug as she peered inside. Nope, nothing inside. Okay then. Ladybug just had to find a way to use the handbag. She handed the bag off to Alya. "Here. Hang on to this for a moment while I figure out a way to use it."

"Yeah, sure. Not a problem. I'll just be standing here and videotaping this on my phone. Don't mind me." Alya waved her hand dismissively. Ladybug widened her stance so that she was firmly between her friend and her foe. The akuma raised her weapon but then suddenly seemed to think better of it. She turned and ran down the hall and back towards the main part of the mall. Alya raised her eyebrow questioningly. "Uh, do they usually do that?"

Ladybug ignored Alya's comment for the time being. She was on a time limit now and could feel Tikki's magic slowly seeping away from her. "Alya. Bag!" she called out as she stuck her hand behind her.

The weight of the handbag filled her palm and Ladybug took off at a sprint to chase after the akuma. Hopefully she could find a way to use the handbag out in the open. "Wait for me!" Alya cried in dismay as she raced after her. "I'm so investing in a better camera after today!"

Ladybug whipped around the corner of the hall and came face to face with the akuma. The villain gave a pretty nasty smirk as she raised her weapon. Ladybug's eyes went wide.

"Mar… Ladybug, look out!" Alya cried. Alya's hands landed on her shoulders and jerked her sideways. The pair of them landed behind a large, full planter box.

"Thanks," Ladybug said as she sat up and then pulled Alya into a similar position. Alya's camera was still trained on the akuma. Said akuma was still shooting wildly around the leaves of the potted plant. Thankfully it was large enough to give Ladybug and Alya enough cover that the akuma could only guess where they were at. However, the beam of petrifying light were still too close to their heads than Ladybug liked.

"That was way too close." whispered Alya as she looked over at her.

"Tell me about it," Ladybug mumbled.

"So what's the plan?"

"I have to figure out where Hawkmoth's black butterfly is." Ladybug answered as she peered through the foliage at the akuma. The villain was in a rage now, face twisted and bright red. She must have found it frustrating not to be able to see where she was shooting.

"That makes zero sense." Alya told her.

"There's a guy called Hawkmoth. He sends out these black butterflies to possess things and infect the people who have them in order to turn them into superpowered bad guys. I have to find out what the butterfly's possessed, get it away from her, break it, and return her to normal." Ladybug explained.

"I'm gonna pretend that I understand that." Alya muttered.

"I have to hurry too. There's a bit of a time limit now." Ladybug looked down at the handbag. She still had no idea what she was going to do with it. It could've been worse. At least it wasn't a spoon or a brown paper sack.

"So, um, I know I'm new to all this but could that butterfly thingy be in her price scanning gun?" Alya suggested. "There's just something off about it… aside from the fact that it turns people into mannequins that is."

Ladybug narrowed her eyes as she looked closer at the akuma's weapon. Alya had a point. The thing had looked distorted and what kind of looked like a power gauge. "Alya, you might just be a genius."

"Well of course I am. Haven't figured out a way for you to use that purse though."

That was when the pieces started falling in place for Ladybug. If she could lasso her weapon around the pillar off to the side of the akuma, get behind her, put the bag down, and startle her enough to trip her backwards then it she might just drop her weapon. Okay, but how was she going to get the akuma to go backwards? Usually she'd leave that part up to Chat Noir but the dumb cat wasn't here. Ladybug looked down at Alya and another thought crossed her mind. "Hey Alya… I probably shouldn't ask you this but how do you feel about helping me out?"

A smirk crossed Alya's face, "What did you have in mind?"

"Think you can figure out a way to get her jump backwards?"

"I think I can come up with something." nodded Alya. "Leave it to me."

"Be _careful_ though!" Ladybug said emphatically.

Alya was already moving though. She popped up from their hiding spot. "This is a great angle for you!" she called brightly to the akuma.

The akuma spun with an irritated snarl and turned her weapon towards Alya. Alya ducked down again, pressing herself against the floor. She stuck her thumb into the air and smiled. Ladybug nodded and as Alya jumped back up to taunt the akuma, she jumped up and out the opposite side of the planter box.

Without missing a beat, Ladybug caught the pillar with her weapon and swung herself behind the akuma. "Hey ugly look this way!" Alya called again.

Ladybug tossed the handbag. It slid a few feet until it was directly behind the akuma's feet. Alya just barely managed to dive under the akuma's blast. "Alya! Now!" Ladybug cried.

The akuma twisted around to look at her in shock. "There you are!" she hissed.

That was before one of the planter box's decorative rocks came hurtling at her head. The akuma cried out in surprise. She jumped backwards to avoid it and right into the trap Ladybug had laid for her. The akuma yelled out as she tripped over the handbag, falling on to her back. The force knocked the price scanning gun out of her grip.

Ladybug caught it midair and brought it down hard over her knee. With a brittle crack, it snapped in two. She heard Alya gasp as a black butterfly flew out of the two pieces and into the sky. Vaguely, Ladybug was also aware that the akuma's transformation was wearing off rapidly but she had something else she needed to take care of instead watching that process. Ladybug activated her weapon's catch and healing magic. She aimed. Then she flung. "Gotcha!" she cried triumphantly.

The magic only needed moments and a pure white butterfly flew away. Ladybug waved to it before turning to grab the handbag she'd summoned. Once more it looked like luck and quick thinking had made it a useful tool. She felt the handbag heat up in her hand as it started glowing. It was more light and vapor than anything else when she threw it in the air. "Miraculous cure!" Ladybug called out.

Everywhere around her, red magic was swirling around. It wrapped around the mannequins and turned them back into humans. Groans and muffled sighs rose throughout the mall as the akuma's magic wore off. Ladybug turned to the girl that _had_ been the akuma. She was sitting on the ground, blinking in complete confusion. The poor girl was probably only a few years older than she and Alya were. The name tag on the front of her nice blouse told Ladybug that she was a cashier at one of the department stores in the mall. "I'm sorry that you had such a bad day. People should be nicer to cashiers. No one should have to put up with others being so mean to them." Ladybug told the cashier as she held her hand out to help her up.

"Thanks," mumbled the girl as she accepted it and stood up. Ladybug offered her one last smile before letting go of her hand and turning towards Alya.

"Come on Alya. Let's get out of here." Ladybug said as Alya clicked off the camera on her phone.

"That was _amazing_! Girl! I had no idea that you were Ladybug!" Alya whispered excitedly as she shoved her phone in her pocket. "I can't believe you didn't tell me. Do you realize how many exclusive videos I could've gotten of you and Chat Noir before now?"

Ladybug pulled Alya around a quiet corner. Already she could hear the police breaking through the locked doors and into the mall. A little late but better than never showing up.

The transformation fell away and Marinette returned. She held out her hand for an exhausted Tikki to land in. "Good job Tikki. Get some rest okay." she told Tikki as she deposited her in the bag on her hip.

"Nice to meet you again." Alya told her with a smile. "I can't wait to _really_ hang out with you."

"Thank you Alya!" Tikki replied sheepishly. If she hadn't already been red, Marinette was sure that Tikki would've blushed.

Alya turned her attention to Marinette. The smile on her face was infectious. "After all this time? Who'd have thought I was chasing around my best friend when I went on Ladybug hunts?"

"For the record, you freak me out when you do those. Sometimes you get too close to the akumas and it makes me nervous."

"Yeah but this time I was totally right there in on the action. Not a bad stand in for Chat Noir if I do say so myself."

Marinette laughed a little, "I'll let Chat know he has some competition for the role of partner now. That will throw him into dramatics quicker than snapping your fingers. I'm not really feeling the mall anymore. Let's go get ice cream at the park."

"Yes! Victory ice cream! I can get down with that." Alya nodded enthusiastically. "I've got so many questions for you."

Marinette shrugged as they made their way towards a now unlocked door. "I'll do my best to answer them. I don't know all the details myself yet but…"

"Well my first question is how can you transform into an amazing, kickbutt Superheroine, defeat powered up baddies, and save Paris like it's no big deal but yet you can't talk to Adrien without turning into a stuttering mess?"

Marinette froze midstep and grimaced. "Sh… shut up!" she whined.

Her only response was a laugh from Alya that sounded like a cackle.


End file.
